Glenn Hoddle has claimed that Trent Alexander-Arnold needs to ‘become a better player’ in defence after his struggles against Fulham striker, Aleksandar Mitrovic on Saturday at Craven Cottage.
Liverpool dropped points during a 2-2 draw against the newly-promoted side, with Hoddle adding that Alexander-Arnold ‘has to learn’ as a defender, as he told MatchDay Extra on Premier League Productions (06/08/22 at 8:10 pm).
Fulham opened the scoring when Mitrovic jumped ahead and over the England defender to power home a header for the opening goal, before scoring a penalty in the second half to put his side back in the lead, with Mo Salah securing a point for the Reds late on.
Alexander-Arnold wasn’t the only one who found life tough against Mitrovic, with Virgil van Dijk conceding a penalty and Alan Shearer claiming that the Dutchman had a ‘really uncomfortable’ afternoon in the capital.
Liverpool’s defence won’t have too many moments like this given how consistent they and Manchester City have been over the years.
But it was still a troublesome afternoon for Jurgen Klopp to dissect during these coming days, as Hoddle shared what Alexander-Arnold did wrong yesterday.
“Trent’s not even aware that it’s Mitrovic, he has to jump early and block him off,” said Hoddle. “He knows that Mitrovic is better in the air, but I don’t think he opened his body up and had a look.
“When you are a smaller fullback, and you jump early, then you put the player off, so Mitrovic comes above you, then he has to go through you.
“It’s a tough one and he has to learn that as a defender. I think that’s where Trent has to become a better player as a defender.”
ALEXANDER-ARNOLD AND DEFENDING
When it comes to making the ball talk, Alexander-Arnold does it better than most and it’s a big reason why he will hit double figures in assists again this season.
But one question mark that has always hovered above the 23-year-old’s head has been his defending, which was highlighted once again yesterday.
Trent will know too well that he should have dealt with that cross a lot better, but Liverpool’s attacking style doesn’t exactly help his cause.
For most of the time, the England international is a lot higher up the pitch than most fullbacks in the league, he is tasked to stay forward, so it’s natural if he leaves space in-behind and, from a positional standpoint, is caught out.
That’s not poor defending, but an attacking system perhaps putting extra limelight on Alexander-Arnold, who will want to put things right next Monday against Crystal Palace.
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